


In Another Place

by bringer_of_insanity



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bella Swan Is In The Volturi, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:47:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28649277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bringer_of_insanity/pseuds/bringer_of_insanity
Summary: There may have been a good reason why Renee moved to Italy when she did. Or maybe there wasn’t.Renee was flighty like that.It may have been a new hobby she took up. Or maybe she’d seen something interesting on TV.It didn’t matter anyway.What mattered is what happened.When Bella was four, Renee moved to Italy.
Comments: 16
Kudos: 73





	1. Chapter 1

**_ Chapter 1 _ **

Bella’s memories weren’t very clear. Nothing was really.

There may have been a good reason why Renee had moved to Italy when she did. Or maybe there wasn’t. 

Renee was flighty like that.

It may have been a new hobby she took up. Or maybe she’d seen something interesting on TV.

Maybe it was something serious like Renee wanted to run away from something.

It didn’t matter anyway.

What mattered is what happened.

When Bella was four Renee moved to Italy.

It hadn’t been very sudden, Bella remembered that.

Renee spoke about it for weeks, building the excitement. They waited till they sold the little house, and even the old car.

They had time to start learning Italian. Bella knew a few sentences and greetings, and maybe Renee knew how to buy groceries and pay the cashier.

It hadn’t been super important for Bella to check. They were moving to a whole new country after all! A different continent even! She couldn't even reliably spell the word either.

It was super exciting! Maybe she could make friends too. And Renee could make good friends too.

* * *

When they did make it to Italy it was great!

Bella had been worried that it would be cold, like Canada or something. 

Renee said it wouldn’t be crazy cold if it was. But Renee also thought that peanut butter was a good idea in a chicken sandwich so….

Moving to Italy was pretty good.

Bella was learning the language and she wasn’t the slowest kid in class, so that was a win.

When she told Renee, she laughed and said that was because Bella was very smart. Which must be true, because Bella didn’t understand everything Signora Costa said, but she still did alright in everything. 

As far as Bella was concerned, Italy was ok. But not perfect.

Ok, because: She was in the city so her school was close by. Renee could bring her to school on the way to work, and pick her up on the way back. 

It was good because Bella could pick out what she wanted for dinner at the stores.

But, not perfect because: Bella still didn’t have any friends.

At first they would talk to her because she was new and that was interesting. But Bella wasn’t interested in the same cartoons. 

She didn’t even understand the games they liked.

Maybe if she had a cool game then she could get some friends. Or maybe not. 

She was more interested in reading English story books anyway. And drawing. She liked drawing too.

Renee would save all her drawings in a box.

According to Renee, Bella would want to see her progress. And it would be nice to see them when she was a famous artist in the future.

Renee was supportive like that.

She even started taking art classes with Bella to “grow her artistic system”.

Renee was so invested that she lasted a whole month. Then she found cooking classes. 

Needless to say, Bella was a skinny child. 

Very small for her age, Bella was surprised no one called child abuse. Or maybe they did.

Bella was very glad when that fad ended.

* * *

Renee was a ……. Bella didn’t remember. Was it ever mentioned?

Maybe a teacher? A tourist guide?

Bella never asked. It was just never important. It probably involved English though. It must have.

It must have paid very well, because Renee always said that international calls were expensive; but she always made sure to make it available. Every other week, Bella was always made to call her father Charlie Swan.

It was always on a Saturday. So Bella had to wake up at a “reasonable hour” and make the call. Then stay on the phone for at least an hour.

Renee was strict about that. Actually, that was the only thing she was strict about.

The idea was that, since Renee was not paying for a visit, then Bella should at least get to talk to him.

It’s not that Bella didn’t like Charlie, it was more that….he was hogging her time.

Her favorite cartoons were on tv on Saturday mornings!

And they didn’t really talk about much.

Bella would just rather not to wake up early to talk about boring things, and still miss her cartoons.

* * *

Life continued as it did.

Renee got a boyfriend. Bella hadn’t made friends at her old school. But that was ok. 

She was in primary school now, and that was alright.

The teachers at the art class were fun. They would even lend her story books they thought she would like.

The stories were weird, but Renee said it was because they were Italian. Even though some of the English stories were weird too.

Renee got new boyfriends, and they were all boring. Bella found it funny when they were forced to eat Renee’s cooking though. At least she didn’t have to suffer alone.

* * *

Life was ok. Then Renee died.

Well, she was killed. But, the point is, she was dead.

It was fast and terrifying.

So fast, Bella wasn’t even sure if the terror was real.

It had been night. They were going home from a new restaurant that Renee wanted to try out. It wasn’t too expensive and they were having some sort of discount.

Bella didn’t remember what she had, just that it was good.

She didn’t remember many details, besides that the night was dark, and the road was empty. Which was weird because they were in a city.

Maybe they were lost? 

Bella couldn’t say she had seen that place before.

It shouldn't have mattered because Volterra was an incredibly safe place.

They would just need to find someone to point them in the right direction. 

Something happened, Bella wasn’t sure what. But, somehow, she tripped. Then Renee caught her.

Then _she_ tripped.

They had been about to laugh at their combined clumsiness, then, a flash and a bang.

A flash of white grabbed Renee and threw her into the wall.

Bella didn’t even scream.

It was just so quick.

Next it was on Renee.

Bella saw flashes of red when it looked at her.

It took a few seconds for Bella to recognize that this thing, this very violent and obviously dangerous thing was a man.

A man who was able to throw Renee into a wall.

Renee’s scream was cut sharply into a gurgle, then quiet.

Renee wasn’t screaming, and Bella couldn’t process anything but her heart jackhammering, and the suddenly intensely cold night.

He dropped Renee and looked at Bella

Black was crowding her vision and she couldn’t move.

Breathing was a job she was unqualified for.

She smelled blood and she knew. She just knew, that was what death looked like.

She remembered then, how last week when they found a rat in the house, she and Renee both screamed.

Then how scared the rat was when Renee launched at it.

She knew how it ended for the rat.

Bella dearly did not want to be a rat.

  
  


* * *

A second flash happened right then, and Bella didn’t know to be grateful at the time.

Just as the man lunged at her another flash grabbed him.

There was grunting, and shouting. Then screaming.

Distantly Bella wondered, ‘what did _he_ have to be screaming about?’

She looked around and saw that there were two older kids and a man.

A big man.

He looked just as scary as the first one, but Bella had no room for more terror.

He wasn’t killing her right then, so he can’t be as bad anyway.

The girl spoke, “Hunting is prohibited in Volterra.”

The man continued to scream. Twisting on the ground.

The second man, the really big one gestured to Bella.

“And how do you explain these two just suddenly going missing?” He scowled. “Do you realize that you’re giving us extra work to do?” He kicked at the man’s leg.

The girl rolled her eyes at Bella, “make it quick.”

The silent boy motioned to Bella. 

When she didn’t come to him he sighed. Then stared at her.

Bella stared back. 

“What?” she finally asked.

He blinked. “Wait,” he looked to his friends, “one more time.”

Bella stared back. This boy was weird.

The screams continued in the background. Bella pretended not to notice.

The big man sighed, “move over, I’ll do it.”

But the boy started waving his hands, “wait, no, this is good!”

He did a spin. 

“It didn’t work on her!” he grinned.

“Isn’t that amazing?” he continued.

The girl didn’t seem impressed, “we don’t have time for this.”

“Let’s bring her back then! Yes!” he clapped his hands, “The Masters will be impressed!”

The others sighed. Then the girl said, “Might as well bring him too..”

The man hoisted the somehow headless man onto his shoulders.

The boy knelt in front of Bella, “climb on my back, we’re going to meet the Kings”.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Chapter 2_ **

**_The Kings_ **

  
  


Bella hesitated. She wasn’t shaking, but her heart still hadn’t calmed.

She didn’t know these people. But, they did stop the other man. So, that was good? 

Maybe?

Bella tried to think past the pounding in her head, and the heaviness on her chest. She fiddled with her purple hoodie, and focused on continuing to _not scream_. She had been doing a great job too!

She had to remember what Renee always said: “keep a cool head, and think.” -Not that it did her any good.

She didn’t know what to say, or do. There was nothing to think about. 

Renee was dead. Right? Shouldn’t there be police? Charlie?

She looked at the boy in front of her. He and the girl were obviously kids too. So, if they wanted to go with the big man, then….. Maybe he was their father?

She looked back to Renee. She realized that she hadn’t really checked after….the screaming. Maybe she was alive?

It only took one glance for Bella to know what she already knew. Renee, was dead. 

Necks just don’t bend like that.

She watched the girl lift Renee like a giant doll.

The girl scowled at her and Bella scrambled onto the boy’s back. She was a mean older kid then, Bella decided. At least their dad wasn’t frowning. Bella hoped that was a good thing.

Bella settled herself firmly onto the boy’s back.

She didn’t have the energy to be surprised at how cold or hard he was. Maybe he was wearing weird clothes?

“Close your eyes,” Bella could hear his grin.

  
  


She wanted to be annoyed. Why was he happy? Tonight wasn’t fun! She swallowed the lump in her throat and held on before she could say something.

“Hold on!” he chirped then everything was a blur.

Bella wished she’d had the time to close her eyes.

She hadn’t been able to process it, over the insistent thought that she was leaving with strangers.

* * *

The wind and cold whipped around her.

The world was narrowed to varying degrees of dark blurred shapes, sliced with bright lights. The only sound was the wind; and Bella was sure this was faster than even Renee liked to drive.

* * *

  
  


When they finally stopped, Bella couldn’t see, and her ears were full.

Everything was too bright and too dark. Everything was too fast and the stop was sudden. It was hard to focus on anything besides her suddenly heaving stomach. Dinner wanted to come back up

She could hear voices, but they were distant, and didn’t sound important.

She swallowed a few times to quieten her stomach.

When her ears popped, her eyes adjusted.

* * *

She was in a large round room with windows and chandeliers. They were very pretty.

Bella wanted to focus on anything besides the three very big thrones raised on one side and the other people in the room.

Not just that, but Bella didn’t want to have to see the man and Renee on the floor at the girl’s feet.

There were a lot of squares on the stone walls.

She wanted to count them. There were a lot. Did she even know that many numbers?

She shifted to see the rest of it, but felt more than heard everyone turning to her.

She didn’t quite gasp. But she did inhale wrong, and dissolved into a coughing fit. She felt the stares the whole time.

She looked.

They all had red eyes. Red eyes.

How do they have red eyes? 

Why do they have red eyes?

The man sitting in the middle; he’s the one who was talking before, he smiled.

Bella’s heart pounded.

“She’s awake at last!” he grinned.

He stood, really slowly, and started walking towards her even slower.

There wasn’t enough air. Bella’s throat felt tight.

“Hello,” he said, still walking.

Bella’s grip on the boy tightened.

Renee always said not to talk to strangers, or go anywhere with them (without her). Bella looked at Renee. 

Inhale.

“You’re quite attached to Alec, aren’t you,” he kept coming, “release her.”

Exhale.

Bella locked her legs.

Inhale.

She felt the boy, Alec, prying her arms apart. She knew she heard a creak. Her arms were purpling and she was sure they were about to fall off.

Exhale.

“Master, I..” Alec started.

Inhale

“Interesting!” the man smiled harder.

Why was he walking so slow?

Exhale

“So! I heard that you are an interesting girl!” he was vibrating with every slow step.

Bella heard a grunt behind him.

Inhale

“What is- no, no, more natural!” The man stopped walking mid sentence, frowned, then continued, “What’s your name?”

Her answering “Bella” came with the exhale, which turned into a cough.

“Ah, Bella,” he hummed. “I am Aro!”

He was still walking slow.

“We have things to do,” she heard the blond man on the throne say.

Aro sighed. “Fine~. Okay. Special girl. Let’s see...Jane? Have you tried?”

He stopped in front of Renee.

Jane looked like she wanted to smile and sigh at the same time. 

“I will Master.”

Bella looked at Jane and Jane looked back at her. Jane started to smile, and Bella wasn’t sure if she should smile back.

She continued to stare, and Bella wondered if she was supposed to have smiled back after all.

Was she expecting something?

Jane frowned.

Did Bella mess up? She always knew she was bad at making friends. Should she smile now? Was it too late to smile?

“Remarkable!!” Aro was almost bouncing in place.

Between one blink and the next Aro was right in front of her.

She did scream then.

He reached and held her interlaced fingers. He held them so tightly, she stopped screaming.

“Marvellous!” he crowed, spinning to face the other two on the throne. “I see nothing!”

The blond man gave an angry sigh. The black haired one rolled his eyes.

Bella could hear the grin when Aro proclaimed, “I see possibilities brothers! Great possibilities!” His head bobbed with each word, “What do you think brothers?” he continued.

Bella didn’t hear the response but feared the worst when Aro addressed the room.

“Rejoice my friends.” He raised his hands, face splitting grin on show, “The Volturi will gain a new member in the coming years." He paused then continued with a florish. "The family is accepting a new member today.”

Bella didn’t feel like rejoicing. She looked at Renee. Then she saw someone in a white coat lift her.

Bella must have made a sound, because Aro was looking at her again. He looked at Renee, then at Bella.

“Oh, I see. Bella, is that your mother?”

She nodded.

He smiled, “well, you are getting a new mother now, so it’s ok.”

Bella’s breath stuttered. She stared at him. “What?”

“Yes! In fact, you are getting two mothers and three fathers!” He was giddy. “Isn’t that amazing?!”

Bella felt tired. Very tired. Her throat was heavy.

“You are getting a whole new family now,” he continued, “Aren’t you a very lucky girl?”

Bella did not feel lucky at all.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Chapter 3_ **

Introductions

  
  


“Isn’t that exciting?” Alec chirped.

Bella’s hold loosened.

She actually forgot about him. He was the support, the tree she needed to cling to. To hold onto in the face of….this. She forgot that he was an actual person.

It was crazy, because that didn’t actually make sense. But, nothing made sense anymore.

Renee was dead. 

Definitely dead. 

Charlie was far away. Everything was different, and Bella didn’t know what to do.

Renee had always said to call the police if she was in trouble, but she had no phone. Renee had the phone, and someone just left with Renee. But, even if she did get a phone, she couldn’t really speak Italian anyway.

Maybe it wasn’t so bad anyway. After all, these people were speaking English, so that’s got to count for something right?

She was jolted out of her shock again, when Alec continued, talking and giggling through a very unhelpful story of how wonderful this all was.

“....-so long since we got someone new!” He was bouncing now, the sudden jerking jarred her stomach. She felt it dip and lurch.

“...-don’t think we’ve ever gotten someone so young though!” He moved his hands, likely a clap and Bella’s eyes grew wide. 

She felt weightless, and remembered falling out of the maple tree at home.

She was suddenly grabbed from behind.

All she saw was sudden blackness and blurred colors. The suddenness had her heaving, coughing and retching at the same time. Nothing came up, but it left her with a sore chest and burning throat.

Maybe she blacked out for a few seconds, or maybe everything just happened so fast. Next she was aware, she was being held very firmly against a hip. But, the arrangement was wrong, her weight wasn’t balanced and she could feel a bruise on her leg. It was painful enough for her to actually want to say something.

It was hard to try talking when Aro was enthusiastically telling Alec about how wonderful everything was, and he didn’t even seem to notice that Bella was trying to twist.

“Um, uh, its um-,” was as far as she got because, next Aro was talking at her.

“Great! Come Bella,” his hold did not loosen, “Come meet my brothers! You’ll love them!”

Bella watched his brothers both frown.

He stood in front of the throne, right hip with Bella firmly caged, jutting dramatically to the front. “Brothers, meet Bella.”

He was greeted with silence.

“Bella, meet my brothers, Caius and Marcus!” He pointed to each one. “We are your fathers now.”

Bella stared at them, and they stared at her. 

They continued to stare. Maybe it's like with Jane? Maybe they were shy? Should Bella smile first? If she was to live with them, then she would want them to like her. 

Then she remembered what Aro said.

“But, um, I-I already have a father?” It came out as a question.

She understood when he had said she would be getting new mothers, because well, Renee was...not there. But Charlie was alive, so…?

Aro stiffened.

“You do?” This was the blond one, Caius. He stared at her, an eyebrow arched. He turned to Aro.

Marcus didn’t move. Was he sleeping? With his eyes open?

“Yes?” Why were they surprised?

“And where is this father? Is he at home waiting for you?” Caius was scowling, but pretending he wasn’t. The same way Renee did when Bella didn’t explain something in the correct order.

“No? He’s in America. But-but he’s a Police Officer and um, uh he’s my, uh, father.” Her throat hurt each time she swallowed. They all stared at her.

Caius raised both eyebrows at Aro, “her father is a Police Officer,” he said very slowly, “shall I continue?” His eyebrows got higher with each word.

Aro relaxed, “worry not dears. Bella is still our child.”

Then he turned to Bella, “How often do you visit your father?”

It took some time, but it was eventually agreed that Bella would continue calling Charlie. It was stressed that everything was a secret.

* * *

The talk was long, and Bella was sure that there was a bruise along her back now. By the time they were done talking Bella needed to pee very badly.

“Let’s go meet the wives. We can present the child together.” Aro lifted Bella as if to spin, the motion was halted when Caius said, “We have work to do”.

Marcus sighed, “do we really?”

Aro grinned, “see, Marcus agreed! Let’s go”

Both Caius and Marcus sighed, very loudly. “Wait,” Caius said, “give her this,” He passed along his scarf to Aro.

“Oh,” Aro trilled, “so thoughtful! Now I don’t have to behead anyone! Good thinking brother!”

Bella thought Aro was being loud, but, at least the scarf smelled nice? Plus he did put her down.

When the scarf was on, Bella spoke, quick as she could, heart racing, eyes squeezed tightly, “You-you were holding, uh, holding me too tight,” it all came out in a rush.

She was met with silence.

When she opened her eyes they were staring at her.

“It didn’t hurt when Alec held you,” Aro pointed at her accusingly, brows furrowed, and posture stiff.

“I refuse to walk at her pace,” Caius muttered.

“Let her climb on your back,” Marcus sighed.

“Good idea,” Aro chirped, suddenly smiling again, “climb on,” he stooped.

The walk was long, and there were many rooms. There were a lot of people too. Aro introduced her to all of them, and made them promise to be nice. By the time they got to the ‘special’ part of the castle, Bella was restless.

It was very late, her eyes were itchy, her throat hurt and she really needed to pee. Aro’s constant vibrating did not help.

Aro was talking about how this was wonderful and so very new, and Caius was telling her that she cannot leave the castle. Aro gushed about how this was her home now.

It was confusing how sometimes they would be talking to each other, then when they remembered that she was there, they talked at her. Bella didn’t even understand all the words they were saying either, but it didn’t seem like they cared.

During the walk Caius made it his duty to tell her how she must pay attention and strive to uphold the good name of the Volturi. He talked a lot and pointed to paintings when they passed.

It was a long talk, very boring too. But at the end she realized something, “so, you are the police?”

Caius paused, looked at her. He blinked slowly. His scowl changed. “Yes?” His eyebrows stuttered.

“Yes! We are!” Aro enthused. “And, we are here!”

Then they stopped in front of a large door.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The Wives

The door was very big, and very pretty; but so were many of the other doors they passed. This one was at the end of a long hallway, after stairs, hidden behind the many twists, more stairs and turns they took to get there. Bella didn’t think about how hard it would be to find her way out, she had already forgotten the way before they left the throne room.

What Bella did like though, were the many statues they passed in the last two hallways, and this one. Some of them were done in color, and wore clothes like Alec and Jane; while others looked like the statues on buildings. It was really nice, especially since sometimes the colored statues matched the paintings on the walls.

At the door, two guards bowed to Aro and his brothers. They exchanged words in Italian, then they stared at Bella. 

Bella stared back at them.

“Um….hi?” she squeaked.

As one, both guards bowed, “pleasure to make your acquaintance”.

Bella blinked, “yes…?” What did that even mean? It sounded French.

Then the large door was opening. It was a big door.

The door opened to a large room. It had many squares and rectangles covering the walls, stretching high into the ceiling. Bella thought the gold accents looked really nice with the white walls.

Aro was vibrating less, but still bouncy when he glided into the room. Caius and Marcus followed at his side.

They passed through what was probably the foyer, and Bella noted the paintings, the gold drapes and the flowers. She didn’t know the names, but some were white, and there were mirrors.

Everything was so pretty, and shiny that she couldn’t stop staring, even when Aro brought her through other rooms.

* * *

They stopped in the living room, and Bella thought it looked like a painting. It was pretty, and it had flowers painted on the ceiling.

Bella noticed the stop, and then she noticed the three people.

They were beautiful. Well, everyone she’d met since entering the castle were beautiful, but, these people were _beautiful_.

The two women in red were draped across the long white couch, tangled in each other. Their dark and light hair was spilled along the many pillows. The next woman was very different. Her dark skin was a rich contrast to theirs. Her hair flowed down the armchair in red streaked dreads. She balanced a laptop on her lap.

Caius knelt next to the blonde woman and began speaking.

It was too low for Bella to hear, but next, Aro was speaking as well. 

The women didn’t quite untangle, but they sat up as one. They looked dazed, like they just woke from a very good nap.

Aro spoke, grin very audible, “ Suplicia, and Athenodora, please meet Bella. Our daughter.” He stooped, prompting her to stand, then manhandled her in front of him. “Bella, meet Suplicia and Athenodora. Your new mothers. And Corin.”

Bella stared at the floor. The wooden floor had diamond patterns and the rug was brown. She shifted her weight.

There was a pregnant silence.

She looked up, the women were looking at her, expecting something.

She really needed to pee.

“Uh, hello, I-I’m, I’m Bella,” she stuffed her hands in her hoodie. The castle was just this side of ‘not cold’.

The women looked at Aro. Eyes not quite focused.

Then Aro started talking, really fast, grin audibly changing. He was cut mid sentence when Caius started talking too.

Bella briefly studied the books on the coffee table. Were they in Italian too? Maybe they could be in English.

The voices were a low buzz.

Does the fireplace work? She's never seen a real fireplace before. Maybe it was just decoration? But, everything matched, so, it must be real.

“-and we thought that a child would be a refreshing break in the monotony of eternity,” Aro’s speech slowed so quickly that Bella had to blink to process the suddenly understandable words.

“We present you a mind, a garden if you will, for you to cultivate,” Caius finished.

It was silent.

Then, “your gift is appreciated, husbands,” Suplicia smiled, petting Athenodora’s hair.

“Hm, appreciated,” Athenodora sighed, staring half-lidded at Caius.

They shared another conversation that Bella couldn’t hear, then Caius addressed her, “you will live in the tower with Athenodora and Suplicia.” He rose, “You will obey the rules given and do what you are told.”

He continued to give a long list of rules that Bella didn’t understand. She saw Aro speaking with Corin. Bella made sure to nod after each pause in Caius’ speech.

Finally, after they were done, Aro strode over, picked her up, then handed her to Suplica. “We leave her in your hands,” the three said in unison.

Suplicia set Bella on her lap, “we have received her”, they replied.

Bella stiffened on her perch, and focused on her breathing. 

Inhale.

She was being left with these people. 

Exhale

Her new mothers. 

Aro, Caius, and Marcus were leaving.

Inhale

They were leaving.

Exhale

She was being left with completely new people.

Inhale

They were acting like Renee after a good smoke, good? Maybe.

Exhale

Bella was vibrating with tension.

Inhale

She was sure that if she relaxed at all, she would pee.

Exhale

“I need to pee!” it was more squeak than speech, but Suplicia laughed. It was a quiet sound, almost a whisper of clothes.

“Come, dear Bella,” she said, completely disentangling from Athernodora and gathering Bella against her hip, “I shall take you to the facilities,” they glided from the room.

* * *

In the bathroom, Bella was momentarily surprised by the lack of gold. Instead, the walls were black, white and gray mosaics. Everything else was a combination of black, white or gray.

It was a big room. Definitely bigger than Renee’s bathroom. Even the one back in America.

Bella was sure that, she would slip on the shiny black floors at the first chance.

Suplicia set her next to the toilet and hurriedly began unbuttoning her pants. It took a few seconds, but then Bella realized what she meant to do.

“No, wait!” she screeched, “I can do it!!” She began batting at Suplicia’s hands.

Suplicia stopped, raised an eyebrow at Bella, “ are you sure?”

Bella was sure she was redder than a tomato, “Yes!!”

She fumbled with her pants, then realized Suplica was still standing there.

Bella stared, cheeks burning, “um, could you, uh,” 

Suplicia tilted her head, “let me help.”

Bella maintained a firm grip on her pants, “no! Alone! Uh, um, privacy! Please!” she felt her belly clench and she couldn’t get the words out right.

Suplicia smiled, then took a seat on the upholstered bench, taking her time to turn away from Bella, and examine the potted plant to the other side.

Bella didn’t get much time to be upset, because next, she _really_ had to go.

It took a very long five minutes to go, then fix her clothes by herself, but, it was done. Suplicia laughed when she had to lift Bella to reach the sink, but, it all ended well.

When they were done, Bell was once again hoisted onto Suplicia’s hip and brought to the living room.


	5. Chapter 5

**_Chapter 5_ **

In the living room Bella breathed deeply, and focused on the fact that she no longer needed to pee. She hadn’t realized earlier just how full she had been. She had been ready to burst, and right now, focusing on the relief was better than thinking about, well, anything else.

Suplicia managed to sit and arrange Bella across her and Athenodora in one motion. They spoke to each other in another language, while carding through Bella’s hair. The click-clacking of Corin typing in the armchair was rhythmic and almost never changed.

It took awhile, but Bella’s heart calmed, and she started looking around the room.

She thought it was funny that the walls had gold squares, even the doors had them. But they were nice to focus on.

They were talking for a while, then Suplicia paused her motions.

“So Bella, you’ve been given a great honour,” Suplicia paused in thought, “we are happy to have you here,” she smiled.

“Yes, we are happy to have you,” Athenodora smiled, “this is a new life for you. A whole new opportunity.”

Silence.

Bella felt them looking at her, and wondered what they were expecting. She looked at them, then slowly nodded.

Suplicia started carding through her hair again.

“You are a part of our family now, a great honour.” a smile, “Not many have been judged worthy”. She paused. “Let us get to know each other.” 

“Tell us about yourself.” Athenodora added.

Bella fiddled with the hem of her hoodie.

“Um, thank you…?” she looked up and saw them smiling, waiting.

She inhaled deeply, tried looking around. She didn’t know what to say. What did they want to hear? She didn’t know what to do. She focused on one corner of the room and how the white curtain was few shades lighter than the white wall. There wasn’t any light coming from outside. That was a bit strange, because at their house, it was always bright outside. Renee said it was because it was in the middle of the city. Cars were always passing, and there were many street lights.

If Renee was here then she would tell Bella what to say. Renee would say like: your name, age, and what you like. Just like when Bella met Renee’s boyfriends…. That was an idea, yeah, just like that. Bella breathed deeply and began.

“M-my name is Isabella Swan, uh-um but my mom calls me Bella,” big inhale, “I’m six years old, and-and, I like painting. I’m going to be a billionaire when I grow up.”

“Ooh, isn’t she just precious!” cooed Suplicia.

Athenodora raised an eyebrow, “Six years old and she’s already accomplished her life’s goal.”

The click-clacking stopped, and Bella yelped when she heard Corin coughing really loudly.

Athenodora shot her a look, and Corin resumed her typing.

Bella was confused, but that wasn’t exactly new.

They asked questions, some were direct and easy to answer like, her birthday, favorite food, color and animal. But others were harder, and she wasn’t sure how to answer, like, what type of parent Renee was, and the type of household she was raised in, and the expectations she was raised with.

Bella couldn’t answer all of them, she didn’t even understand half the words. It was also entirely likely that not all the words were in English either.

They spent a long time quizzing her, then talking to each other, then talking to her again. It had stopped being nerve wracking somewhere after the first hour, and during the second ‘break’ her itchy eyes became itchy ears, then a headache. By the third ‘break’ Bella was upset, and her answers were slurred. She wasn’t aware of a fifth break.

* * *

When she woke, she was snuggly wrapped in a thick blanket, on a very big bed. Overhead was a….was that a light thing? It looked like a gold five legged spider...with white boots.

It was a big room.

It was morning, Bella noticed, the light streamed through the curtains.

What she noticed next was that it was really quiet. That was strange. It was never quiet, Renee, as a rule, was never quiet. The house was never quiet either, even when Renee went out. She always forgot to turn off something, either the tv, the radio or a pipe.

It was the quiet that made her look around. The first glance showed the large room, in all its teal and gold wonder. Then the second glance made Bella freeze and her heart stuttered.

She hadn’t noticed them on the first sweep, they were just so still. But that wasn’t a good reason, because the sun made them glitter just a bit. 

She stared, and last night came back to her. She hadn’t forgotten it, more like...it might have been a dream..? 

But…..well, Bella knew she didn’t need to ask about Renee.

Suplicia and Athenodora sat against each other in a chair, limbs intertwined. They wore different red dresses, and Corin was in another chair, eyes glued to a phone.

Bella shifted and all eyes were on her.

“Had a good sleep?” asked Athenodora, eyes still half lidded, “you slept for 7 hours and some minutes,” she paused, then turned to Corin, “is 7 hours enough?”

Corin hummed, “its a healthy number. She may need a nap later though.” She pressed a few buttons, “Be sure to feed her soon, children require food and water regularly.” She eyed Bella for a bit, then took out the laptop and began click-clacking.

Suplicia rose, “come Bella, let’s go have a shower.”

This bathroom was different from the one last night. It was teal like the room with gold details, and it had plants on the walls, and the sink too. It was pretty, and very bright. A lot of the wood was black too. Bella thought it was all very interesting, but spent most of the time convincing Suplicia and Athenodora that she could have a shower by herself.

They weren’t convinced. Everything was taller than her and according to Corin, it was common for children to drown in the bathtub, or die in the shower because of broken glass.

Bella’s face was burning the whole time, she couldn’t even say her words properly.

When done, they wrapped her in a towel and brought her to the newly furnished walk-in closet.

Everything took at least an hour, then Bella’s belly started rumbling.

Suplicia carried Bella , while she moved the ongoing conversation to the gold and white living room.

Bella felt her belly twisting, but was too embarrassed to mention it.

She was held in Suplicia’s lap while they spoke faster than she could understand.

Then there was a knock on the door.


	6. Chapter 6

**_Chapter 6_ **

Bella heard the big doors open, saw a guard move, then heard the squeaking of wheels. It felt like an interruption. A break in the calm haze everyone had settled into. A break in her nap. She made to rise, but Suplicia’s restraining hold never loosened; and Corin’s click-clacking never wavered.

It felt wrong to want to move. After all, everyone was having a lazy morning, especially after the whole ordeal of showering and dressing.

Someone entered with a food trolley. They stopped beside the coffee table.

It smelled amazing, and Bella couldn’t help but twist in Suplicia’s lap to take a look. There was an assortment of foods, and it was nothing like regular breakfast. There was easily enough food there for her whole class at school. The trolley had many different meats, pastries and fruits. It was almost overwhelming, everything was really.

Breakfast with Renee had never been this plentiful, even on birthdays, or Christmas. It made everything so exciting. There were just so many different foods. But, then again, there were so many different foods. How would she choose? What should she eat? Could she eat? Suplicia hadn’t moved.

Bella stilled. One, two, three, four. She paused.

There was no heartbeat. There were no breaths.

Bella did not move.

Was Suplicia dead too? Like Renee?

Bella knew _ she _ was breathing harshly, and her heart began to race.

If Suplicia was dead, then, what would that mean?

She was aware of Corin’s glances, which slowly turned into open stares. The click-clacking slowed. “Suplicia,” Corin started, voice low, “its breakfast time.”

Ever so slowly, the hold loosened, and Suplica moved. Bella didn’t. She took deep breaths, then once her throat was less tight, less dry, and less hot, she ventured, “I don’t get- I don’t get it,” she fidgeted with her long sleeves, tugging at the ends.

Suplicia set her upright, and fussed with Bella’s single long braid, her movements slow, but graceful.

“Hmm?” it could have been a stretch or a groan, or maybe a breath.

“Your heart,” Bella gestured to her own, “and breathing...” She trailed off, not sure where to go next. She was worried over nothing. Suplicia was clearly ok.

“Don’t concern yourself with that,” Athenodora said, she too sounded airy and unfocused.

A man dressed in a light gray suit rolled the trolley over. He bowed, one hand over his chest while he introduced himself. His name was Hugh and he was her Attendant and Guard, he anounced. That was it.

Then he pointed to a small cake with her name on it. “I made it,” he bowed once more.

He stood to the side as Suplicia said, “choose what you like,” setting Bella to stand.

Bella wondered if she was expected to go to the dining room table, but decided it was too far. 

She looked to Suplicia and Athenodora, then, at their nods, she studied the trolley.

The man took a tray and loaded it with anything Bella’s gaze lingered at. Then once the tray could hold no more, Suplicia once more lifted and tucked Bella between herself and Athenodora. That done, she was occupied by her mountain of food on a legged tray.

Bella didn’t notice how no one else was served. She was kept occupied by a running narrative of how each thing she ate was prepared. Hugh stood ready with a wet napkin everytime Bella magically dropped something. He was also always ready when she was about to touch the couch for one reason or another.

The last thing Bella ate was the cake. It was three layers of hot pink on the outside and soft on the inside. Once she started, Hugh began a winding narrative on the uses of strawberries and how they were a member of the rose family.

It was a lot of food, and Bella was over-full, but felt obligated to continue eating, because Hugh kept talking. She tried to eat more, she really did, but there was a lot. She stopped eating somewhere after he started on where these particular strawberries were sourced, and immediately felt her face heat when he stopped mid sentence to stare at her. 

He blinked slowly. “Was it not to your liking?” He asked, just as slow.

Bella nodded very carefully, her stomach felt distended, “Yes. Um- Thank- Thank you. I’m full,” her stomach ached, “too full.”

Hugh looked at her, she saw his mouth moving, but heard no words. He looked around, then nodded, “noted,” he produced another napkin and Bella remained still as he worked.

He bowed, “excuse me” gathered everything and left.

Bella was very glad that she wasn’t expected to move after breakfast. She would have never been able to handle it. Instead, Suplicia and Athenodora asked more questions about her life with Renee, they wanted to know what she liked, and if she needed anything from her house. Bella couldn’t think of anything. She didn’t have many toys and she didn’t know what counted as important. When they insisted she talked about her art, and how Renee had been saving her art works to make a portfolio. It was a long, but short morning, then they asked about how she slept.

They told her a TV would be brought in soon, and she would have a tour of the tower and surrounding wing soon. They even talked about school and Bella wasn’t sure how she felt about not returning to her own school. It sounded like she may or may not be getting a teacher all to herself on some days. Other days would be filled with other lessons too.

The morning passed, then Hugh returned. He entered the room with a bow and words spoken too fast for Bella. He presented Suplicia and Athenodora with a small box.


	7. Chapter 7

The box was small, and flat. It was black and had many red flowers swirling. Bella didn’t think they were roses, but they were pretty.

Suplicia tucked Bella between her and Athenodora, then showed her the opened box. 

“This is a symbol of the Voluri’s intentions,” Suplicia breathed, voice soft but heavy with meaning, “its a symbol of your new family and your home,” she continued, “ Wear it, and know we are your family.”

Athenodora took the necklace, choker really, and once Bella was still, put it on her. “Wear it with pride,” she added, then fastened a watch onto Bella’s wrist, “never take them off,” there was something heavy in her voice that Bella couldn’t name.

They went on to explain that Bella was being gifted a great opportunity, and this was a symbol of that. These artifacts, they said, were imbued with...Bella wasn’t sure, but they were a symbol to all who saw her.

The rest of the day was filled with information, and rules, most of which made sense, while many others didn’t. But Bella was becoming very good at nodding in all the right places.

Then there was the tour of the tower, and the surrounding areas. That took most of the day, way past what Bella would think was dinner time. There were many rooms, and what Suplicia called suites and apartments. Then there was a library, there was also an area that Corin said would be transformed into an entertainment room for her.

That was...interesting? But what really surprised Bella was when she was shown to her ‘adult quarters’. Athenodora said it mattered little at this time, but that’s where she would stay once she was older.

It put things in perspective a little for Bella, because although she never actively thought about it, this was her life now. She would be living here for a long time. She was just six right now, so that would be a very long time. This was important, but not really, not right now anyway. She didn’t think about it for a long time.

Next, she was shown to her classroom. This would be the main room for her tutors and lessons. It was a big room. Very big, with a lot of space. And very empty. Bella didn’t comment, but Corin must have seen her face because she said, “it will be furnished in time.”

Hugh, who Bella forgot was walking with them, thought it was important for Bella to be shown the underground cave systems. It was, “imperative that my charge is aware of the potential shelter, and escape points should there be a situation which warrants it.”

Bella wasn’t sure of the details, but everyone stopped walking, and Athenodora stared at Hugh for a very long time. No words were said, but Bella felt that something was going on. Then Hugh bowed, very deeply. 

They were brought to the caves.

The caves were really pretty. There were some interesting looking plants, and many gold things. Bella was sure there was a golden ship in one of the ‘rooms’, but they didn’t enter the interesting looking ones.

It was all a very interesting place, but it was very big. So halfway through the exploration, and after everyone had to wait for her the fifth time, Bella found herself on Suplicia’s hip. 

The tour was great, but it could only be so interesting for so long. Her head pounded, her ear itched, and her stomach felt cramped.

It all stopped when Bella’s tummy made a loud roar. 

“Its dinner time,” Corin and Hugh chorused. 

Hugh made a call on his cell phone, and they all went back to the tower.

* * *

Dinner was like lunch, but less food. Just a bit. Bella ate, Hugh talked, then she had to stop. He checked her preferences then said, “noted.”

Bath time was a struggle, because Bella could not stay awake. Though she fought her very best to take her own bath. It was a moot point since she fell asleep halfway through.

* * *

The next day was once again filled with tours, and then there were meetings. She met her new teachers, and saw the classroom.

It looked very different from yesterday. 

There was a desk and chair, two computers, an art station and a science station. It was like they went to a school, and sectioned the room into pieces of what a school would be like. It was a big room though. Bella was sure it was bigger than her school gym.

Bella’s General Studies teacher, Jeno, was to be her teacher for all her core subjects. He talked a lot about how he was a teacher to some of Italy’s most notable names in the past. It was a long talk and Bella didn’t think all of it was very important, but then he said that they would start classes now.

* * *

There was no plan or structure that Bella was aware of, but Jeno talked about what he thought was important, then there was an ‘aptitude test’. It was boring, and annoying, but Jeno insisted that Bella must complete the tests in a “timely manner,” then he looked at her and said, “Very quickly.”

* * *

After that, Jeno explained to everyone that the results of the test would help him find the correct level for her. He marked the papers, and Bella was surprised when she was being shaken awake by Aro.

She hadn’t forgotten about him, she just…hadn’t remembered.

It was a very busy day, and many things were happening. But, it was very surprising to be greeted with Aro’s over-bright smiles and bouncing excitement.

He was flanked by Caius, and Marcus, who stood facing a wall for some reason.

“Congratulations Bella!” Aro held her in the air. “This is so exciting!” Bella’s stomach froze when they started spinning. “You’re our smart girl!” Everything was blurring. Aro kept up a constant stream of excitement and Bella closed her eyes, stomach roiling.

She could hear Caius talking with Athenodora, and Corin’s presence was heralded by the click-clacking.

Next, she was on Suplicia’s lap, thankfully not spinning. But, just to be safe, she kept her eyes closed, and let the soft conversations unravel her shifting belly.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Bella quickly got used to waking in someone’s lap, or in a completely different place than she fell asleep. It was confusing for the first few seconds, but after blinking a few times, Bella was either assured that she was in her new bedroom, or in a familiar lap.

Today, she was spread across Suplicia and Athenodora. Not quite in a tangle, but wrapped so tightly in a blanket, arms so woven into skirts that any adjustments would require careful planning.

Bella didn’t think about that, instead she had to wince when she tried to retrieve her hand. It felt like static, and white noise that Renee liked to sleep to.

They were in Bella’s bedroom, Suplicia and Athenodora firm anchors on either side of the bed, and Corin’s tapping from a chair.

From there, the day was off to a good start. Bella was allowed to do most of the showering on her own, and Suplicia even asked her what she wanted to wear. So, that was good. She chose the blue sweater dress and navy tights. The bright reds had looked a bit intimidating, and Suplicia didn’t seem to mind. In fact, both she and Athenodora spoke at length about why this dress was good for this particular day.

A lot of it didn’t make sense, but, Athenodora thought it important that Bella be aware of the impact her wardrobe choice will have on her interactions.

Breakfast was ok, and Hugh had a full story about how important oranges were, and it was great that she “was not averse to such an important component in good health.”

After breakfast, Bella was told that her personal effects had been retrieved from her previous home. Suplicia secured Bella’s artworks, and person effects.

It wasn’t important to mention that, situations, and stories were rearranged so that everyone knew that Renee Higginbotham was hired as an accountant at the Castle. Everyone knew that she moved in on short notice. Everyone also knew that the people who worked at the Castle often travelled a lot, and were basically “rich overnight”. So, nobody questioned it when Bella was either being home schooled or away at boarding school. It wasn’t important anyway. No one really expected foreigners to stay very long

Suplicia and Athenodora were impressed with Bella’s drawings and paintings. They told her this, and they told her that she could draw or paint anytime she wanted. They asked great questions, and Bella was excited to talk about art.

Bella was too young, or maybe too distracted to think to ask for a keepsake. Something tangible to remember Renee by. She was too young to consider it, and they were very good at distracting.

They all had a great talk, even Corin paused her typing to add a few words.

It was a great bonding experience.

* * *

Having classes by herself was strange at first, but like many things, overtime it became normal.

Bella was no longer awkward and stilted with Jeno. He was by no means her favorite person, but at least he was more expressive that Hugh.

Jeno was a great teacher, she learned many things. Many good things, and many things she was sure she would never use in the real world. It was great though. Being the only student meant they worked at her pace, and they could fill the free time with important things like learning about the world around them. These usually involved field trips. But those were preceded by hours of drilling the rules.

Do not leave my sight.

Do not run.

Do not shout and attract attention.

Keep your artifacts visible at all times.

Keep myself and Hugh in your sight.

Have your cell phone at hand.

Don’t talk to strangers.

Don’t leave with strangers.

The list went on. It was fairly long, but, with so much free time, there was a lot of time for drilling. Then she had to recite the rules before the trip was arranged, then before they set out on the trip.

She also had to recite the goals of the trip.

The trips were great. They were usually to museums and public buildings, sometimes watching a movie among other people was the goal. Other times, Jeno would have Bella engage the museum staff in conversation about a piece of history, or current events. Sometimes it was to test Bella’s memory or understanding of a topic, but other times, it was to check her conversation skills with an outsider.

Jeno didn’t always tell her his verdict, but they were always reported.

Other times, the conversations were with children her age. These often went poorly. Either the other child lost interest, or Bella was flailing for words. They were noted.

  
  


Those activities were necessary, but Bella especially loved when they went on ‘nature walks’. These were where she found inspiration to paint. She loved that on those days she was allowed her equipment on the trip.

Hugh, or Jeno would carry them, and once a great spot was found, Bella would be lost to the world for a few hours. Sometimes even on into the night too.

It was great. Restful. Peaceful.


End file.
